The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for dividing a divisible mass of food into portions that are suitable for consumption by one or two people at a single meal and to methods and devices for storing a mass of divisible food in portion sizes. The term “divisible mass of food,” as used herein, means a mass or body of food that can be divided into portions without cutting or breaking the mass into smaller parts, thus excluding large solids and including masses of small pieces of food such as chicken breasts or legs, granular food such as small fruits and vegetables, ground food such as ground meats, fish and fruit and liquid food such as soups or sauces.
While the eating habits of the general population vary greatly, there is general agreement that food should be served in the quantity that a person prefers or requires, that quantity being referred to herein as a “portion.” For example, a light eater may require four ounce portions of meat, potatoes and vegetable and a heavy eater may require six or eight ounce portions of meat, potatoes and vegetables. The present invention will divide a mass into a plurality of approximately equal portions, the size of the portions being determined by the size if the divisible food mass to be divided and the number if portion being determined by the construction of the equipment.
In some situations food may be purchased in portion sizes, but generally at a higher price than in a larger quantity. Food is generally obtained in quantities greater than the size of a portion, and the person who prepares the food divides the quantity of obtained food to produce a portion that approximates the correct quantity. This practice requires the preparer of the food to reduce the size of a mass of the particular food to portion size each time that food is to be prepared for a meal, thus adding a burden to meal preparation. Further, the process produces an excess quantity of food, and unless there is an immediate use for the excess, the preparer must either wrap and store the excess or dispose of the excess, thus adding another burden onto the food preparer.
The food industry has provided food in portion sizes packaged for consumption by a limited number of people for many years. U.S. Pat. No. 2,917,388 to Sullivan et al. describes a process for producing meat products in portion sizes by grinding the meat into granules, thereafter forming a slab of ground meat, thereafter freezing the slab and then cutting slices from the slab in portion sizes. The slices are thereafter shaped, frozen and preserved as frozen products. Even though the individual consumer usually obtains ground meat in ground state, this process would be time consuming and difficult for the individual consumer to carry out because commercial equipment to cut the frozen slab is not available and packaging for storing would be burdensome and time consuming. Hence, there is a need for an improved method to apportion quantities of food into portion sizes and for apparatus for carrying out such a method. Further, this need extends to the individual consumer and must be satisfied by the equipment generally available in the kitchens of individual consumers.